Indiana halts support of fertilizer plant on U.S. bomb concerns

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence yesterday pulled his support of a plan by a Pakistani company to build a fertilizer plant after the Pentagon raised concerns that its products were being used to make bombs.

Pence said yesterday he withdrew state incentives for the project near the Illinois border because the Defense Department said it needs more time to evaluate whether the Lahore-based Fatima Group has created a less-explosive fertilizer. The Pentagon’s task force on improvised explosive devices has focused on Fatima’s production of calcium ammonium nitrate, an ingredient in bombs used against U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

“I did not take this decision lightly,” Pence, a 53-year-old Republican, said in a statement.”